The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-09-01
The Dead Mormon Chief.

The career of John Taylor, the success
sor TO Brigham Young, who died recently
was almost as romantic as The creation of
novelist. He was succssively English
man, Canadian and American Methodist
Progressionist and Mormon laborer,
preacher and editor; martyr and fugi.
tive; apostle and president; then fugi-
tive again, and finally died a martyr, if
we accept as true the Mormon statement
that his last sickness was due to the close
confinement made necessary to escape the
vigilance of United States marshals. He
carried Illinois lead in his body forty.
three 5 ears, and his life was saved by the
accident of bullet striking his watch,
but for which the leaden messenger of
death would have passed through him
near the heart. And yet he lived to be
70 years old, lacking but three months ;
and during thirty years lived in peace,
wealth and local honor of Utah.
John Taylor was born November l,
1908, in Milnthorp, Westnoreland coun.
ty, England, where he YVES reared Dis
senter rand in early life becamea Methodist.
In 1882 he enigrated to Canada, and was
soon in the midst of that wonderful
religious ferment which swept over
America, especially the western sections,
during that era. 1t vas the age of reli-
gious debates, of which the Rice. Camp
bell and Campbell. Purcell discussions,
with many other, are the permanent
remains in our literature. Ohio was the
great battle ground of new sects, and
thence missionaries gent to Canada, by
one OF whom Taylor was second time
converted, becoming radical Wesleyan
or Progrcssist. In 1886 he became a
Mormon, gathering with the saints" at
Kirkland, Chic, in 1887. About that
time however, the Mormon bank broke,
the kirkland Safety Society,"" money
fell to six cents on the dollar, and then
to nothing; creditors seized the goods Of
the Kirkland store; indictments issued
against SOME of the saints for swindling
and others for counterieitiDg, and the
leaders fled to Missouri. The salts alrea.
dy numbered some 1000 in the north.
western part of that State; war between
them and the Gentiles broke out, and
late in 1888 the whole Mormon popula-
ton was expelled with much cruelty.
They settled about Nauvoo, in Hancock
county, Illinois, and prospered greatly
until 1923, when trouble again arose
| with The non. Mormons. All this time
Taylor was working hard for the sect,
and rising in rank as we'll as accumulat-
ing property He was now an apostle
Zone of the quorum Of twelve" as the
phrase is).
In 1S43 the doctrine Of "plural mar.
riage" was quietly taught to the trusted
ones, and the leading saints looks unto
themselvs extra wives. Early the next
year few men seeded from the church
and established the Egpositor, newspa-
per in Nauvoo, to oppose the new doctrine
but they only issued ore number. The
prophet Joseph Smith promptly convened
the city council, bad the paper declared
nuisance and, with his devoted "gaDg,
at once destroyed the press, scattered tue
type and burned all the copies they could
get. The editors fed to Carthage, the
county seat, and procured warrants for
the prophet and Hyrum (so spelled by
Mormons), his brother; the saints in
turn fortified Nauvoo, and bade defiance
to the county officials. The governor OF
Illinois persuaded them to surrender on
pledge of protection, but they were soon
taken out of his hands on q new charge,
that of treason. Joseph and Hyrum
Smith were placed in the Carthage Jail
treason not being bailable, and Willard
Richards and John Taylor went with
them for company. On the afternoon Of
June 27, 1874, a mob stormed the Jail,
killed both the Smiths and shot Taylor
with four balls. Three entered his body.
two of them remaining there for the rest
of his life; but the fourth ball struck 8
heavy, old fashioned English watch be
wore, stopping the hands at 5: l6 P. NJ.
which is marked among the saints as the
"solemn hour of the prophets DEATH
Taylor recovered after long illness, and
fled With the saints when they were driven
from Illinois in 1916. In 1847 he yield
ed bis claims and Joined the Pratts and
others in making Brigham Young presi
dent of the church.
For the next ten years Taylor was
missionary to various countries. He had
the "Book of Mormon" translated into
French, and established u Etoille (7A'
1star), a Mormon paper, in France. In
common with other missionaries, he bit
terly denied the charge that polygamy
was Mormon practice. In France ht
took solemn oath to that effect, and at {
public debate with three English minis
tiers he vehemently denied that Mormon
could have more than one wife, though
he had three himself at that time. al
the Mormon missionaries continued thi
system of perjury till the public ayowa
of the doctrine at Salt Lake City in Sep
tember, 1925, and the publication of th'
alleged revelation of July -; 1S43, frs
published in England in April, 1853
Taylor then returned to the United State
and established the Mormon in New
York city in 1854, but the Mormon wa
of 1857 broke up all the American mis-
sions, and thereafter, Taylor resided il
Salt Lake City. When Brigham Youp!
died, in 1877, Taylor was president of tn
Twelve A postles. and that BODY ruled til